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On the sunny morning of Sept. 3, 2025, first-year families arrived in their packed cars on Andrus Field, parking near Clark Hall to begin the process of unloading and moving in. As the latest cohort of new scholars emerged from vehicles with their belongings in tow, staff from the Office of Residential Life and student-athletes greeted them with a cheerful “Welcome to Wes,” helping them find their rooms and take the first steps in their Wesleyan journey.   

Ellie Keane ’29 of Brooklyn, New York was drawn to Wes by a mix of the community, the open curriculum, and the arts. She had visited, taken a tour, and attended an event for admitted students before making her decision. “I just felt like it was a place of intellectual, curious thinkers that I want to be a part of,” said Keane who mused about focusing her studies on psychology or neuroscience.  

After being involved in STEM and debate and government activities in high school, Keane is looking forward to exploring the broad range of experiences that the university is known for. “A lot of Wesleyan people are very into the arts and theater and music. I'm really excited to learn about that and to experience some shows and student art,” she said.  

The flexibility of the curriculum was also a plus for George John ’29 of San Francisco. “I think Wesleyan is a school where you really get to make your own future and make your own course load,” he said. “It just gave me a bunch of freedom that a lot of other schools didn't.” That openness will allow him to pursue his interests in biology and philosophy. “I love bioethics, so that seemed like the route to go,” he said. 

The empowering approach to education was a key factor for Luca Bast ’29 of Norwalk, Connecticut. With a passion for film as well as government or philosophy, he might build his learning around one or two of those disciplines. What drew him to Wes: “the liberal arts curriculum and also a strong film program as compared to other more specialized film schools,” he said. “I like the flexibility while still having a robust program.” He’s looking forward to meeting people in his class year and the community as a whole.  

New York City native Lucas Jacobs ’29 said he decided to come to Wesleyan after a conversation with a friend, who raved about the community and the opportunities available here. While touring campus, he said, “I could just see on campus how supportive everyone was,” said Jacobs, who is interested in studying the humanities and may join the student theater group Spike Tape. “I noticed that mostly everyone I saw was smiling, which I thought was a great sign that people actually enjoyed being here and being with each other.” 

He said he is excited to experience living away from the city and he hopes to meet people from all over the world ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ. “I hope that I grow my social awareness and meet a lot of new, interesting people that have different points of view and learn how to understand and appreciate everyone's differences,” he said. 

After the morning move-in, parents filed into Memorial Chapel for a workshop with presentations about student life on campus, followed by welcome remarks by President Michael S. Roth ’78. During his annual address to families, Roth described Wesleyan as a community that would be both welcoming and challenging to students, fostering individual achievement.  

He promised to continue to protect the place of learning that had offered him that special combination of compassion and high standards when he was a student. “We live in a time when a broad liberal education that should be characterized by viewpoint diversity, as well as the diversity of the lived experience, is really under duress,” he said. “I pledge to you that we will defend our students, our faculty and our staff’s ability to provide this kind of education in an atmosphere of freedom and respect.” 

After parents departed in the afternoon, first-year students and transfers spent the rest of the week engaged in a mix of orientation activities, including a film screening and the 18th annual "Common Moment," a joyous introduction to embodied inquiry and essential community-building in a space of possibility and imagination.  
 
Assistant Director for Programming and Assistant Curator for Performing Arts Kiara Benn ’20 welcomed students to the "Common Moment," noting the event is a time to feel non-judgmental, to be curious, and to be present. Ceramic artist and Wangunk elder Gary Red Oak O’Neil MALS'82, CAS'93 gave an emotional welcome to his ancestor's land, telling students to make the most of this chapter of their lives by turning obstacles into hope. Over the course of 90 minutes, students learned the eclectic and diverse of world dance traditions taught ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ from six Dance Department faculty members and then had fun performing those energetic dances for their peers. 
 
Class of 2029: A Snapshot  

The class of 2029 is 842 students strong, with individuals hailing from 44 states and U.S. territories. Forty-one percent are receiving institutional aid, demonstrating Wesleyan’s continued commitment to making college affordable. Similar to prior years, 43 percent self-identify as students of color, and 5 percent are children of alumni. Fourteen percent are the first in their families to attend college. First-year students speak 33 languages other than English and they represent 55 countries other than the United States. In total, 11 percent are international, coming from countries far as Australia and Uzbekistan. Joining the first-year class are 45 new transfer students, including seven from community colleges and one military veteran. 

For international student Mohamed Abdelaal ’29, Wesleyan offers broader educational pathways than his home country, Egypt. “I chose Wesleyan specifically for my academic goals, the open curriculum and all of the possibilities that it opened for me,” said Abdelaal. An African Scholar, Abdelaal is also enjoying the opportunity to travel and intermingle with students from all over the world. For now, he intends to major in computer science and mathematics, with a possible minor in economics. “But I want to take courses in many other divisions and experience other things,” he said. 

Andrew Chatfield and Mike Mavredakis contributed to this story.